Top frequently asked questions
Even though hair loss is a natural part of the aging process for many people, it can still be a stressful experience to see the hairline creeping higher and higher. Dr. Sharma has compiled a series of videos to answer some of the top questions we have heard.
When should I get a hair transplant?
As long as your hair loss is stable, and there are no other factors which bar you from being a candidate – the sooner the better.
You need to make sure that the native hair is stabilized and the loss of this is de-accelerated. The earlier that one gets a hair transplant the less grafts they are going to require and the better the results are going to be. You want to avoid the situation where you need 5,000 – 8,000 grafts in one surgery because each person has a limited supply.
The sooner the better, stabilize your hair loss & add more.
How young can you be to get a hair transplant?
We have transplanted some patients as young as 14 due to burns and other unfortunate events. Typically speaking for male pattern hair loss, we want the patient to be at least 18 years old and we do wish for their hair loss to be stabilized with medication before moving forward with hair transplant surgery.
How long before my hair grows back completely?
It depends on which procedure we are doing and which area you are referring to. For the F.U.E. procedure your hair will grow back to normal at the donor site (back of the head) within 2-4 weeks.
The recipient area (where we are transplanting to) normally takes around 3-6 months to start coming in evenly. With about 70% growth by the one-year mark. It takes a total of 18 months to see the full maturity of your transplanted grafts.
Is hair transplant surgery safe or not?
Absolutely. It’s a very safe procedure when performed by somebody skilled who not only has the technical skills and is an MD, but secondly has the artistic eye.
It’s about understanding the patients face, what they are trying to achieve and making sure things look natural.
My motto is results need to whisper and not shout. Nobody should even know you’ve had anything done – it should be absolutely seamless.
Do hair transplants hurt?
The surgery is performed under injected local anesthetic. That pain is a little bit sharp to be honest – it feels like a bee sting. The pain lasts roughly 60-90 seconds while we are preforming the local anesthetic block. After this you will feel no pain whatsoever. You will feel pressure, you will feel some water around your scalp, but you won’t actually feel anything else.
It’s actually quite boring to be honest with you. The block is very effective and lasts between four to eight hours. The day following surgery most patients are surprised by how little downtime they have.
More FAQ’s
General questions, answered, about our process
Here we have broken down FAQ’s into stages of our process:
Before
This primarily depends on the quality of hair on your donor site. You are required to have a certain amount of hair density at the back of your head so we can transfer it to the desired area. If you have a large demand for density or coverage at the front of your head, then you need a large amount of eligible donor grafts in the back.
We are open from 9:00am – 5:30pm weekdays with occasional evening and weekend dates when required.
Hair transplants are commonly charged per graft. More grafts does not always mean a better result. Placement, skill, and precision are huge factors in your end result. Our FUE Hair Transplants start at $6,000.
Yes, we have two options for financing your procedure. Please ask for more details during your Hair Transplant consultation.
All hair transplant procedures are performed at our private clinic located at:
16923 127 Street NW, Edmonton, AB, T6V 0T1
This depends on the patients desired hair line and density. A lot of our patients only ever need one surgery but other will come back for a second one within their lifetime.
Wear a button or zip up shirt/sweater as you will be given a gown to wear during the procedure and will not be able to pull anything over your head when you leave. Comfortable pants are always a plus.
They are placed into a solution called HypoThermosol. This is formulated specifically to support tissue samples during hypothermic storage. Learn more about HypoThermosol
We will need the donor and recipient site shaved down to a zero for the surgery. You may have this done prior to the procedure date or we can shave it on the day of surgery.
During
For the first half of the day we will be harvesting the hair from your donor site. Most patients will listen to music or podcasts and try to rest or sleep.
During placement of the grafts many will watch movies, read a book, or use their cell phone for entertainment.
Yes, we try our best to ensure our patients are comfortable to minimize discomfort.
We recommend you refrain from smoking 1 week prior to surgery and for 2 weeks post for best results.
We provide lunch of the patient’s choosing. Let us know if you have any dietary restrictions prior to the procedure and we will be able to accommodate your needs.
The transplant is performed under a local anaesthetic block which ensures the procedure is pain-free.
This depends on the amount of grafts, but the procedure is done within a single day. This can take anywhere from 8-14 hours.
We will harvest and transplant as many as are safe but Dr. Sharma’s consultation will give him a good indication of how many we will be able to transplant.
After
Results can be seen starting at 6-months post-surgery with best results at the 1 year mark.
Dr. Sharma has 10+ years of experience performing hair transplant surgeries and uses a technique which delivers seamless and natural results. Individual follicles are extracted from the donor site and transplanted to the recipient site in a tasteful fashion to provide you with the best and most natural results possible.
7 Days of downtime.
We recommend you take at least 10 days off from intense workouts or training. Avoiding excess sweating will assist with your recovery. We advise taking a 1-month break from swimming or competitive sports.
3 – 4 weeks.
Continue to use the provided spray solution to alleviate the itch. Refrain from touching the newly transplanted grafts.
Yes, over the counter analgesics are recommended post-surgery.
We will supply a regiment for you including all of the necessary tools and substances for cleaning.
Yes, however we recommend you rest for the required 5-7 days post transplant and be very diligent with your after care.
Best practice suggests that you avoid any alcohol ingestion for a week following your surgery. We strictly advise patients avoid alcohol the day after the treatment to give the best healing possible.
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Talk to a Hair Transplant Expert in Edmonton, Alberta
If you are considering options for hair restoration, our experienced team is just a phone call away. We provide hair transplants for Edmonton residents, as well as those choosing our Edmonton clinic as their hair transplant surgery destination.
